There was an important conversation on Capitol Hill between the nation's top military officials, the Senate Armed Services committee, and a bunch of other men today — the senior senator from Georgia among them — but Saxby Chambliss, in what was surely the most astonishing moment of a hearing on the sexual assault crisis in the armed forces, essentially blamed military rapes on "the hormone level created by nature." Here's the full quote:

The young folks coming in to each of your services are anywhere from 17 to 22 or 23. Gee whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur. So we've got to be very careful how we address it on our side.

But Chambliss outdid himself today, nearly hijacking a hearing with much more at stake. Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand — one of a few very key women on a committee in a room otherwise visually dominated by men — had the runner-up quote of the marathon hearings, stating: "Not every single commander can distinguish between a slap on the ass and a rape." And that would get attention any other day when Chambliss wasn't busy giving America his best Todd Akin.

News reports are focusing on the Germanwings pilot's possible depression, following a familiar script in the wake of mass killings. But the evidence shows violence is extremely rare among the mentally ill.